𝐍𝐎 𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒 ━━ 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐳𝐳𝐨

TEN | reunited team

"Special Agent Gibbs for Detective Giudice."

"Body found in trailer park. Badge says Petty Officer."

"Alright, thanks."

Before I can ask about the wellbeing of the team, the dial tone sounds against my ear. I drop the phone against the headset and turn back to the stack of paperwork.

With N.C.I.S. present in a heavy Navy-operated location, what's the point of Metro P.D.? Most of the murders lead to a Petty Officer in question.

"You're probably having a more. . .enjoyable time on the Reagan."

My fingers graze over the picture frame sitting directly in front of my computer. A tearful smile crosses my features as I stare back at Tony.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Gibbs' name flashes over the front of my cellphone screen.

"Gibbs?"

"When's the last time you talked to Ziva?"

"Calls and emails as often as we could, up until two weeks ago."

"What happened?"

"She must have gone on an undercover assignment."

"And Tony?"

"You know how it is as an agent afloat. Can't really call when you're. . .afloat."

"Come down tomorrow night, eight sharp. Grab a visitor's badge and meet us down in the Cyber Crimes Unit."

"Cyber Crimes Unit? Isn't that —"

"Take care, Eva. We miss you."

- - - - - - - - - -

"Glad to see your coffee addiction has been minimized."

Gibbs and McGee turn back to the elevator as the doors close behind me. I twirl the strap of the visitor's badge around my fingers.

"Is this where our McGoo Bear works?" I look around the dingy, basement-like unit. "No wonder you're so pale. No windows, no ventilation. . ."

"Did you get my summary packet?"

"Yes, I did. Can't believe how interconnected this case is."

Chills shiver down my spine at the memory of seeing Ziva's dust-covered body being wheeled out of the Moroccan bar in a gurney.

"We cracked the eighth level of encryption." McGee takes a seat in front of an array of computers. "Which is not actually accurate because they're not really levels of encryption so much as packets of information all encrypted with a new layer of protection that. . ."

Gibbs glances down at him while I hide my beaming smirk.

". . .that you really don't need to know about."

"God, I missed your geek talk."

"Now, this next series of packets contained system archives, logging information, time-stamped data transfer reports. . .I really have been down here too long, haven't I?"

"That's what happens when you don't get enough vitamin D."

"The day before he disappeared, Vargo connected a thumb drive about this size," McGee lifts a small drive for comparison, "to a classified computer and downloaded a 2.75 gigabyte file."

"What sort of data?"

"Don't know. Haven't cracked that level of encryption."

"It'd have to be something easy to hide. Either he could take it with him or keep it somewhere safe."